The Czech Republic lies in Central Europe. It occupies an area of 78,800 km2 and has more than 10 million inhabitants. It is a country of long cultural, industrial and social traditions. You will be attracted by the beautiful landscape. The capital is Prague, called the Golden City, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There are not many towns where ancient quarters have been preserved to the same extent as in Prague. Within the offered pre- and post-conference tours you can see its beauty yourself.

Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic with some 400,000 inhabitants, is a major political, cultural, industrial and commercial center of the country. It is situated in South Moravia, a fertile region of many orchards and vineyards and famous wines, on the main motorway and railway crossroads, and provides efficient links to the Eastern, Central and Western European cities. Brno is the seat of six universities, incl. the Academy of Performing Arts, with 30,000 students. There are seven theatres in Brno, a philharmonic orchestra, theatrical and musical companies, cinemas, museums, galleries, botanical gardens, a zoo, astronomical observatory with a planetarium and a great number of tourist attractions and recreational facilities, picturesque restaurants, cafés and pubs offering the world famous Czech beer. Brno is also known for its two magnificent buildings, creating the famous panorama of Brno, Spilberk Castle (a much-feared prison of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire) and the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. Motorists will know the traditional Masaryk racecourse for motorcycle and car races.

Conference venue (site)

The conference will be held at the Brno Exhibition Center, pavilion E. The Exhibition Center was built in 1927 and 1928 in the functionalistic style and is said to be the most beautiful exhibition center in Europe. In 1928 it held the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture. Every year numerous international trade fairs, exhibitions and various other events are held here, including conferences.

Pavilion E is a brand new pavilion where all the IPGSA sessions will be held. The Welcome Party and lunches will take place in the oldest (and some say the most beautiful) pavilion A. The Farewell Party will be held in the park close to pavilion D. TOP

Official language

The official language of the conference is English. Oral presentations, including discussions, and the submitted material shall be in English. TOP

Badges

Identification badges are mandatory and will be required for admission to all the Conference functions, scientific program, poster sessions and exhibition areas. TOP

Conference publications

Upon check-in at the registration desk, each conference delegate will receive a free copy of the Program and the Abstract Book. TOP

Commercial exhibitions

Commercial exhibits of scientific instruments, chemicals and books etc., will be housed in pavilion E through the whole time of the conference. TOP

Letters of invitation

The organizing committee will be pleased to provide a letter of invitation to any participant who requests one. Participants should understand, however, that such an invitation is intended to help potential attendees to raise travel funds or to obtain visa, and such a letter is not a commitment on the part of the conference to provide any financial support. Requests for letters of invitation should be addressed to the IPGSA Conference secretariat. TOP

Transport

Brno is situated in the south of Moravia, 210 km from Prague, 130 km from Vienna (Austria), and 120 km from Bratislava (Slovakia). The main railway line Berlin-Prague- Brno - Bratislava - Budapest - Bucuresti passes through the city, and there are direct rail links with Vienna and Poland. The main entry point will be Prague International Airport, from where you can get to Brno by the domestic line Prague (PRG) - Brno (BRQ) - (see time table of the CSA air company), by special coach line from Prague airport to Brno centre, by taxi or by regular Cebus coach line (see http://www.cebus.cz). You can use many international coach routes from different countries in Europe to Brno - from London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Zurich, Vienna, Athens and all large German and Italian cities (see http: //www.jizdnirady.cz). If any participants wish to travel by coach, Cebus travel agency can book seats and arrange connections. Please fill in the corresponding part of the form.

Cebus travel agency will naturally be providing transport from Brno to Prague International Airport (and/or to Vienna Airport) after the conference. The departure times will be available at the conference registration desk (there will also be an air-ticket service desk with the Amadeus on-line reservation system).

There is an International Airport in Brno where it is possible to land with a private or chartered plane. Cebus travel agency can also send an air-taxi for you, but since we do not anticipate a great demand for these services, we would like to ask anyone interested to fax (e-mail) their requirements. TOP

Passports and visas

Residents from some countries will require entry visas. Please consult the Czech Embassy or Consulate of your country. TOP

Currency

The legal tender is the Czech crown (CZK). You will be able to change your money at the Congress Center and in the hotels. The approximate rate is 1USD = 40 CZK. TOP

Climate

July is a beautiful summer month in Brno, average daytime temperatures from 20 to 30°C. As the weather can be changeable, we recommend that you bring a light sweater. TOP

Plenary sessions
Each plenary session, one per day, will consist of five presentations.

Regular sessions
Regular sessions will consist of about 6 talks and three to four concurrent sessions will be held simultaneously. The poster sessions will be the main forum for individual contributions.

Poster sessions
The posters will be displayed throughout the period of the conference and two poster sessions will be organized. The posters will be grouped in a similar way as the oral presentations. Poster boards will be 0.7 m wide and 0.85 m high.
Workshops
Workshops devoted to specific topics of interest to the participants will be included in the program (Sunday, July 1, before noon and Tuesday, July 3, evening), providing an opportunity for informal presentations and discussions. Individuals interested in organizing a workshop should contact the IPGSA Conference secretariat with the topic and suggested chairperson. The scientific committee will consider proposals up to March 31, 2001.